


Kindness Makes Kind Cats

by DesertVixen



Category: The Hundred and One Dalmatians - Dodie Smith
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 02:56:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7149920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/pseuds/DesertVixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The friendship between Pussy Willow and the White Persian Cat (henceforth known as Juliet) has an unexpected benefit...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kindness Makes Kind Cats

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosied](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosied/gifts).



Kindness made kind cats, and the White Persian Cat was no exception.

It did not happen overnight – kindness needs time and repetition before it can grow to fill the empty places left behind by unkindness. It had taken plenty of experience with soft voices and gentle hands (and choice tidbits of fish certainly did not hurt), but by the time the Dearlys relocated to the former Hell Hall, she had grown used to the idea that her new pets were worth having. They had named her Juliet, continuing the Shakespeare trend. It was an elegant name that she quite liked, even when Nanny Cook used the slightly ridiculous “Juliet-kitty” to summon her for dinner, and much better than the harsh cries of “cat!” she had been subjected to before.

She was, as befit the only cat in an estate full of dogs, still rather aloof. While she respected Pongo for his assistance in ridding herself of Cruella and Mr. devil, she was a cat – and a ladylike one at that. Romping with the dogs was simply not her style. The pups who had seen her shredding Cruella’s ermine sheets had a lively respect for her claws, and only a very few of them would approach her. One, surprisingly, was the Cadpig. Although she had grown strong, she would always be somewhat delicate, and the Cadpig preferred a spot by the fire or on Mrs. Dearly’s lap, especially if the television was on. Juliet did not mind her company, but the Cadpig was not an ordinary dog.

Initially, Juliet had been anxious about occupying a place associated with Cruella. She had never been taken to the country, and considered herself an urban creature. But she had grown fond of her pets, especially Mrs. Dearly, and knew that these people would never drown any kittens. They had promised her a dynasty of her own, just as there would be a dynasty of Dalmatians, and a dynasty of Dearlys.

*** ***

Mrs. Dearly had poured her spare time and energy into bringing the house’s little walled garden back to life. There was still a great deal of work to do, but it had become one of Juliet’s favorite places. She enjoyed dozing among the brilliant blooms that set off her snowy whiteness, chasing butterflies, and watching the birds. Occasionally, she reminded the birds that her claws were not merely decorative, but functional as well. Here, too, was one of the places that she and Pussy Willow would visit. They had become good friends. It was a new experience for Juliet, who had not had any feline friends before - the male cats she met occasionally on the street did not count. She had been isolated by Cruella, who had certainly lived up to her name. 

The two cats were very different – the elegant fluffy white lady and the more practical sleek gray tabby. One was used to a pampered existence, while the other had actually been born in a barn. Pussy Willow preferred the outdoor life, although she visited with her pets frequently (especially when the weather was less desirable). She also made a concerted effort not to mention her husband or kittens too often, out of sensitivity to her friend’s losses. Of course, Juliet always inquired politely about their well-being. Pussy Willow was an accomplished mouser, and her skill in finding and dispatching small rodents had earned her a chance to come live in the house. Her affection towards the woman of the farmhouse had done the rest, and she now enjoyed the best of both worlds.

Mice were the subject they had their first disagreement on. Pussy Willow was quite well known among the mouse population, and wise ones steered clear of her residence. In contrast, Juliet had allowed mice free rein inside the deVils’ London townhouse. It had begun merely as a way to annoy the horrid people, but Juliet had found herself developing quite an interest in the mice and their short lives.   
Even now, she did not care to prey on their kind. The mice had been the only animals to give her any assistance until the Dalmatians arrived on the scene, and Juliet remembered her debts. (There was also the fact that one hundred and one Dalmatians were sufficient to keep any small creatures away.)

In the end, they agreed to disagree, and Pussy Willow refrained from boasting about her kills. Juliet did enjoy hearing about her night prowls and missions for the Colonel, even if she did not care to be outside at night herself. Instead, she enjoyed a good prowl around the house in the wee hours. 

Her rambles with Pussy Willow always took place during the day – preferably warm sunny ones – and their rambles tended to bring them back to the garden, where the two could snooze companionably until tea-time. Juliet did occasionally visit the farm, but it always seemed awkward for all concerned. The Folly also made a good meeting place. The two would roam the area, where they could always find something of interest – or failing that, a good place for a catnap.

*** ***

One such ramble would be well-remembered by both ladies, even when they were cranky creatures who rarely stirred from their favorite sunny place by the fire. 

They were roaming near the swollen, swift stream that bordered the end of the Dearly property when they heard the cries. They were faint, and for a moment both cats thought it was a trick of the wind, until they came again – undoubtedly the cry of a kitten in trouble. Juliet had never heard that cry from any of the kittens who had been taken away from her, but somehow she knew what the sound was.   
It took the two of them several minutes of searching, but finally they found the source of the cries. 

It was a pitiful scrap of kittenhood, its black fur soaked and plastered to its thin body, its eyes still kitten-blue. The kitten stared at them and shivered wetly. Nearby was the sack it had been trapped in, with a long tear. Pussy Willow realized that it must have been caught up on something in the stream, and the rip had saved the kitten’s life.

“Were you the only one?” Pussy Willow asked quickly. 

“I was the only…only one…innnnn the sackkkkk,” the kitten stammered – partly from fear, she thought, but mostly from wet and cold. “They took…took me from the others,” it said a moment later, able to get the shaking under control as Juliet licked it, trying to do something with the fur.

“Probably the runt,” Pussy Willow said softly to Juliet. “It happens.”

Juliet hissed, then realized she was only frightening the poor kitten. “People.”

“Will your pets take the kitten in?”

They would, Juliet knew – there was no way that the people who had taken on eighty-two extra puppies would refuse to take in a kitten. “Of course.”

“Then we had best get this little…girl,” Pussy Willow decided after a quick look, “back to the fire and Nanny Cook rather quickly.”

Juliet picked the kitten up, holding the scruff of its neck in her jaws.

And they went.

*** ***

Late that night, Juliet found herself tucked in her basket with a small warm body purring at her side. Luckily the little kitten was able to handle some milk and mashed up meat, without too much trouble, although it had taken quite some time to clean the mess from her sweet little face. Getting the Dearlys to take the kitten in had been no trouble at all. After a brief consultation with Shakespeare, she had been named Miranda.

She did not know, yet, how many changes the kitten would bring to her life. Juliet knew only that she was finally a mother, and this small scrap of black fluff was the beginning of her dynasty.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! I had to reread the book to do this pinch hit - the horror! I always enjoy the cats, and so I enjoyed a story in this world that is a little more cat-centric.
> 
> Also, I apologize for the title, but they're really NOT my thing.


End file.
